This invention relates to a striking mat for use in practicing golf strokes. The striking mat is constructed to simulate grass and what golfers call the "rough", having a raised material substituting for grass, on the surface of which a golf ball is placed for hitting or striking. The invention is intended to create realistic conditions, especially for simulating and practicing strokes from the rough.
The golf simulators and/or golf stroke practicing mats presently in use primarily use a thick mat or so-called Tee Grass, which has densely placed erect plastic fibers, so that when the golf ball is placed on the fibers, it does not sink into the fibers at all. This, however, corresponds more to the situation on the so-called fairways (with their shorter, groomed grass), which provide a fairly good hitting base, than to a rough with its longer grass. For this reason, in modern golf game simulator machines, an effort is made to "penalize" strokes made from the rough by restricting the choice of clubs by special rules, or alternatively the machine deducts a percentile amount of the length of the stroke or hit from shots made from the rough. In such a situation, however, the player does not encounter the same difficulties or "real" golfing feel as when striking from the rough on a real golf course, and the feel of striking and practicing remains unsatisfactory.
When a golf ball is in the rough, it is in deeper grass, and before hitting the ball, the golf club head has to travel through a larger amount of grass than in fairway conditions to reach the ball. The travelling of the club head through the grass slows down its speed, impairs the functioning of the shaft and thus makes it difficult to get a proper strike at the ball. All these factors impair the length and accuracy of the hit ball. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a golf ball hitting or striking mat that offers a natural-feeling striking base, and enhances the realistic feel when used in a golf simulator environment, for practicing strokes from the rough.